Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device has a semiconductor (e.g., a silicon substrate), an electrically conductive region (e.g., a source region and a drain region) which is in contact with the semiconductor to form a Schottky junction, and an insulator. The insulator is in contact with the semiconductor and the electrically conductive region, and has a fixed-charge containing region which contains a fixed charge and extends across a boundary between the semiconductor and the electrically conductive region.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of co-pending application Ser. No.11/451,422, filed on Jun. 13, 2006, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference and for which priority is claimed under35 U.S.C. § 120. This nonprovisional application claims priority under35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 2005-172088 filed in Japanon Jun. 13, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method ofmanufacturing the semiconductor device.

In general, a Schottky barrier is formed at the interface between asemiconductor and metal. Because of this, carrier conduction from themetal to the semiconductor is caused by the thermionic emission thatcarriers go beyond the Schottky barrier by thermal energy, or the tunneleffect that carriers tunnel through the Schottky barrier due to thequantum-mechanical effect, and the amount of the current is heavilydependent on the height and width of the Schottky barrier.

As an example of devices using such a Schottky barrier, a Schottkybarrier metal insulator semiconductor (MIS) field-effect transistor(referred to as SB-MISFET hereinafter) has been proposed.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional SB-MISFET.

This SB-MISFET has, as shown in FIG. 13, a gate insulating film 103formed on a silicon substrate 101, a gate electrode 104 formed on thegate insulating film 103, and a source region 110 and a drain region 111which are made of metal or metallic silicide (for example, PtSi, CoSi₂,or the like) and are formed to self-align with respect to the gateelectrode 104.

In the SB-MISFET configured as above, since the source region 110 andthe drain region 111 have been made of metal or metallic silicide, aSchottky barrier is formed between the source region 110 and the siliconsubstrate 101, and between the drain region 111 and the siliconsubstrate 101. When an ON-state voltage is applied to the gate electrode104, band bending occurs in the silicon substrate 101, and the heightsand widths of the Schottky barriers are effectively reduced. Because ofthis, carrier conduction from the source region 110 to the channelregion is caused by the thermionic emission, tunnel effect, or the like,and the transistor operation is thus realized.

Furthermore, since the source region 110 and the drain region 111 havebeen made of metal or metallic silicide, they are able to have muchlower resistances than a source region and a drain region which areformed by impurity doping into a semiconductor as used in an ordinaryMIS field-effect transistor. Furthermore, since the depths of theSchottky junctions can be reduced quite easily by reducing the thicknessof metal to be deposited, or by controlling the reaction between themetal and the silicon substrate, it is also expected to suppress theshort channel effect. For this reason, it is expected that a highperformance transistor will be provided by using an SB-MISFET in whichthe depths of the junctions and the parasitic resistance are reduced.

However, the heights and widths of the Schottky barriers aresubstantially determined by the difference between the electron affinityof the semiconductor and the work function of the metallic material, sothat it is very difficult to control the carrier conduction from themetal to the semiconductor. For example, when silicon is used as thesemiconductor, a metal-silicide is usually formed to obtain a goodmetal-semiconductor interface. And, when an ordinary large scaleintegrated circuit (LSI) is manufactured, metal used for the silicide isgenerally Ti, Co, Ni, or the like. Thus, there is a low degree offlexibility in selecting metallic material, and therefore the heightsand widths of the Schottky barriers cannot be controlled freely.

Thus, in the SB-MISFET cited as an example of the background art, theheight and width of the Schottky barrier between the source region andthe channel region, on which the threshold voltage is dependent, areheavily dependent on metallic material used for the source region, sothat the threshold voltage cannot be controlled freely. The sourceregion and the drain region of the SB-MISFET are usually made usingsalicide (i.e., self-aligned silicide) process, and in order to preventshorts between the gate region and the source/drain region, takingmeasures such as forming gate sidewall films (e.g., S_(i)O₂) having asufficient thickness is required before the salicide process to increasethe distance between the gate region and the source/drain region, aregion between which is exposed for providing silicide.

At the same time, in order to suppress the short channel effect, thedepth of the junction between the metallic silicide and the siliconsubstrate is required to be reduced by controlling the reaction betweenthe metal and the silicon substrate. The amount of horizontal reactionof the silicide is as much as or less than the amount of in-depthreaction of it, so that an offset is easy to arise between the channelregion and the source/drain region. If an offset arises, deteriorationof the ON-state current caused by increase of the threshold voltageand/or increase of the parasitic resistance, decrease of the yieldcaused by increase of the threshold voltage variation, etc. becomeproblems.

Furthermore, when an n-type device and a p-type device are fabricated ona substrate as in a complementary MIS (CMIS) field-effect transistor,etc., it is preferable that the source region and drain region of then-type device are made of the same metallic material as one used for thesource region and drain region of the p-type device in order to reducethe number of manufacturing processes. In this case, in order that thethreshold voltage of the n-type device is as large as that of the p-typedevice, a metal used for the source region and drain region is selectedfrom materials having a Fermi level near the middle of the forbiddenband of the semiconductor. However, in this case, the heights of theSchottky barriers become as large as one-half of the energy gap of thesemiconductor (about 1.1 eV in the case of silicon), so that it isdifficult to obtain a sufficient large ON-state current.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in order to solve the problemsdescribed above, and has an object to provide a semiconductor device anda method of manufacturing it, in which the heights and widths of theSchottky barriers can be controlled easily regardless the kind of themetallic material, and when the semiconductor device is a field-effecttransistor or the like in which Schottky barriers are used, the shortchannel effect of the device can be controlled effectively withoutsignificantly increasing the parasitic resistance.

In order to accomplish the object, a semiconductor device according to afirst aspect of the present invention includes:

a semiconductor;

an electrically conductive region which is in contact with thesemiconductor to form a Schottky junction; and

an insulator layer which is in contact with the semiconductor and theelectrically conductive region, and has a fixed-charge containing regionwhich contains a fixed charge and extends across a boundary between thesemiconductor and the electrically conductive region.

In this specification, “fixed charge” means a positively or negativelycharged state, substances in a positively or negatively charged state,or the like, which do not substantially move in operations in apractical temperature domain of the semiconductor device according tothe present invention. For example, the fixed charge may be a chargedstate caused by strain, defect, or the like in a crystal; a chargedstate caused by strain, loss, or the like in interatomic bonds;positively or negatively charged atoms, molecules, fine particles, ormicrocrystallites; a positively charged state caused when electrons areemitted from a donor level made by a impurity or the like; a statecaused by a negatively charged state obtained when electrons arecaptured at an acceptor level, or the like.

In the semiconductor device configured as above, the insulator has afixed-charge containing region near a region where the insulator is incontact with the Schottky junction, so that bands of the semiconductornear the Schottky junction are bent, and the height and width of theSchottky barrier are thus modulated. For example, the height and widthof the Schottky barrier are reduced with respect to electrons if thepolarity of the fixed charge is positive, and with respect to holes ifthe polarity of the fixed charge is negative. When the fixed-chargedensity is sufficiently large, a carrier conduction layer which iseither an inversion layer or an accumulation layer is formed at thesurface of the semiconductor under the fixed-charge containing region,according to the conductivity type of the Schottky junctionsemiconductor and the polarity of the fixed charge.

For example, when the conductivity type of the semiconductor is p-typeand the polarity of the fixed charge is negative, or when theconductivity type of the semiconductor is n-type and the polarity of thefixed charge is positive, an accumulation layer is formed, and theheight and width of the Schottky barrier against carries in theaccumulation layer are modulated so as to be reduced, so that theelectrical resistance between the semiconductor and the electricallyconductive region can be reduced, and an ohmic contact may also beformed.

Furthermore, when the conductivity type of the semiconductor is n-typeand the fixed charge is negative, or when the conductivity type of thesemiconductor is p-type and the fixed charge is positive, an inversionlayer is formed, and the height and width of the Schottky barrieragainst carries in the inversion layer are modulated so as to bereduced, so that the electrical resistance between the inversion layerand the electrically conductive region can be reduced, and the inversionlayer and the electrically conductive region may be ohmically coupled.

Consequently, the height and width of the Schottky barrier formedbetween the electrically conductive region and the semiconductor can bemodulated easily and freely by controlling the fixed-charge density.Furthermore, the short channel effect in a field-effect transistor orthe like in which Schottky barriers are used can be controlledeffectively without significantly increasing the parasitic resistance.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor device further includes a gateelectrode, and wherein:

the electrically conductive region includes a source region and a drainregion provided on one principal plane of the semiconductor and spacedfrom each other;

the insulator includes a gate insulating film under the gate electrodeand a first insulating layer provided on opposite sides of the gateinsulating film in such a manner that the first insulating layeroverlaps the source region and the drain region;

the fixed-charge containing region is contained in opposite end portionsof the gate insulating film and portions of the first insulating layeradjacent to those opposite end portions of the gate insulating film;

the fixed charge of the insulator has a polarity equivalent to aconductivity type of the semiconductor; and

the gate electrode is provided, via the gate insulating film, on achannel region of the semiconductor between the source region and thedrain region as well as on a portion near the channel region of at leastone of the source region and the drain region.

In the semiconductor device configured as above, the source region andthe drain region serve as the electrically conductive regions forforming Schottky junctions between the semiconductor and them. Then, thesemiconductor device is constituted as an SB-MISFET in which the gateelectrode is positioned such that it overlaps the source region and/orthe drain region. Also, there are fixed-charge containing regions havingthe same polarity as the conductivity type of the semiconductor nearregions where the channel region is in contact with the source regionand the drain region. Therefore, the bands of the semiconductor underthe fixed-charge containing regions are bent, and thereby the heightsand widths of the Schottky barriers between the channel region and thesource region and between the channel region and the drain region aremodulated to be reduced. Consequently, controlling the fixed-chargedensity enables the threshold voltage of the SB-MISFET to be controlledfreely without being limited by the work function of a material used forthe source region and the drain region.

In another embodiment, the fixed-charge containing region is containedin at least the first insulating layer such that the fixed-chargecontaining region extends at least from each of positions correspondingto two opposed side surfaces of the gate electrode to a position on eachof the source and drain regions.

In the semiconductor device of this embodiment, at least the firstinsulating layer on the semiconductor between the gate electrode andeach of the source region and the drain region has the fixed-chargecontaining regions which contain fixed charges having a polarityequivalent to the conductivity type of the semiconductor, so that thebands of the semiconductor under the fixed-charge containing regions arebent to form inversion layers. Furthermore, since the heights and widthsof the Schottky barriers separating the inversion layers from the sourceregion and drain region are reduced, the inversion layers and the sourceregion and drain region are connected so as to have low resistancestherebetween, and the inversion layers thus function as source and drainextensions that effectively have extremely shallow junctions. Since theinversion layers are used as the source and drain extensions asdescribed above, the junctions have effectively extremely shallowdepths, and thereby a MIS field-effect transistor in which the shortchannel effect can be controlled effectively can be realized.Furthermore, since the source region and the drain region can be made ofa compound of the semiconductor and metal without being doped with animpurity such as As, P, or B in a high concentration, shallow junctionsare easily formed, and the short channel effect characteristic is thuseasily improved. In addition, since the source region and the drainregion are made of a compound of the semiconductor and metal, extremelyhigh temperature annealing such as flash lamp annealing or laserannealing is not required for the activation of the impurity in thesource region and drain region, and therefore problems such asdeterioration of the characteristic of the gate insulating film, meltingof the gate electrode, and strains and breakages of a semiconductorsubstrate can be avoided, and also, the energy consumption for themanufacturing can be reduced.

In one embodiment, an interface between the fixed-charge containingregion of the first insulating layer and the semiconductor is providedin a semiconductor-side deeper position than an interface between thegate insulating film and the semiconductor.

In the semiconductor device of this embodiment, the interface betweenthe fixed-charge containing region of the first insulating layer and thesemiconductor is provided in a position far from the gate electrode, sothat the electric lines of force emitted from the fixed charges near theinterface are restrained from terminating at the gate electrode, and theelectric lines of force are thus allowed to terminate at thesemiconductor. Consequently, the bands of the semiconductor can be benteffectively by the fixed charges, and the height and width of theSchottky barrier can be thus modulated easily.

In one embodiment, the fixed charge is constituted by a substance. And,the semiconductor device further includes a second insulating layer onthe fixed-charge containing region of the first insulating layer, saidsecond insulating layer being made of a substance in which the substanceconstituting the fixed charge is less heat-diffusible than in the firstinsulating layer.

In the semiconductor of this embodiment, out-diffusion of the substanceconstituting the fixed charge, which would be caused by a thermalprocess such as annealing, can be prevented by the second insulatinglayer. Consequently, the fixed charge can be generated effectively.

In one embodiment, the fixed charge is constituted by a substance, andthe gate insulating film is made of a material which is resistant tothermal diffusion of the substance constituting the fixed charge of thefirst insulating layer.

In the semiconductor device of this embodiment, it is possible toprevent disadvantages such as variation of threshold voltage and thedeterioration of the mobility of carriers in the channel caused by thediffusion of the substance constituting the fixed charge toward acentral part of the gate insulating film (i.e., a part of the gateinsulating layer other than the first insulating layer-side end portionsthereof) during a thermal process such as annealing.

In one embodiment, the fixed-charge containing region of the firstinsulating layer has a thickness larger than a thickness of the gateinsulating film.

In the semiconductor device of this embodiment, the cross-sectional areaof the insulator under the gate electrode viewed from the fixed-chargecontaining region is smaller, so that the substance constituting thefixed charge is restrained from entering the central part of the gateinsulating film (i.e., a part of the gate insulating layer other thanthe first insulating layer-side end portions thereof) by thermaldiffusion caused by a thermal process such as annealing.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor is provided on an insulator layer.

In the semiconductor device of this embodiment, the parasiticcapacitance can be reduced and/or the S (subthreshold swing) value canbe improved (i.e., reduced), and thus the operation speed of the devicecan be increased. Furthermore, since there are Schottky junctions in thesource region and the drain region, there will hardly occurcharacteristic fluctuations caused by the floating body effect whichbecomes a problem when the semiconductor becomes an electrical floatingstate.

In one embodiment, the electrically conductive region is in contact withthe insulator layer.

In the semiconductor device of this embodiment, the parasiticcapacitance can be reduced. Thus, increase of the operation speed of thedevice and reduction of the power consumption can be realized.

In one embodiment, the electrically conductive region is made of acompound of the semiconductor and metal.

In the semiconductor of this embodiment, the consistency of theinteratomic bonds at an interface between the electrically conductiveregion and the semiconductor is better than that in the case of using ametal for the electrically conductive region. Thus, Schottky junctionhaving a good rectification characteristic can be realized.

Furthermore, in an embodiment, the metal is any one of tungsten,titanium, cobalt, nickel, and palladium.

In the semiconductor of this embodiment, any one of tungsten, titanium,cobalt, nickel, and palladium is used as the metal, so that metallicsilicide can be formed easily.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor has a conductivity type of p-type,and the metal is any one of erbium and ytterbium.

In the semiconductor device of this embodiment, erbium or ytterbium isused as the metal, so that the Schottky barrier against electrons can bereduced, and thereby the resistance between the electrically conductiveregion and the semiconductor can be reduced.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor has a conductivity type of n-type,and the metal is platinum.

In the semiconductor of this embodiment, platinum is used as the metal,so that the Schottky barrier against holes can be reduced. Because ofthis, the resistance between the electrically conductive region and thesemiconductor can be reduced.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor has a conductivity type of p-type,and at least one element of cesium, rubidium, barium, and strontiumconstitutes the fixed charge.

In the semiconductor of this embodiment, positive fixed charges can beobtained easily, because cesium, rubidium, barium, and strontium haverelatively small first ionization energies as well as relatively largeion radii, among the elements in the periodic table.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor has a conductivity type of n-type,and at least one element of iodine, aluminum, platinum, and seleniumconstitutes the fixed charge.

In the semiconductor of this embodiment, negative fixed charges can beobtained easily, because, among the elements in the periodic table,iodine has a relatively large affinity as well as a relatively largeionic radius, platinum and selenium have a relatively large workfunction, and aluminum easily assumes a negative charge in an insulatingfilm made of, for example, silicon oxide or the like.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, according to a secondaspect of the present invention, includes steps of:

forming an insulating layer on a semiconductor;

introducing a substance to become a fixed charge into the insulatinglayer;

forming a semiconductor exposure region by removing part of theinsulating layer, into which the substance to become the fixed chargehas been introduced; and

forming an electrically conductive region in the semiconductor exposureregion, the electrically conductive region being in contact with thesemiconductor to form a Schottky junction.

In the semiconductor manufacturing method, the height and width of theSchottky barrier formed between the electrically conductive region andthe semiconductor can be modulated easily and freely by controlling thefixed-charge density. Furthermore, when the semiconductor device is afield-effect transistor or the like in which Schottky barriers are used,the short channel effect of it can be controlled effectively withoutsignificantly increasing the parasitic resistance. Furthermore, afterthe substance to form the fixed-charge containing region has beenintroduced into the insulating layer, part of the insulating layer isremoved to expose a part of the semiconductor, and the electricallyconductive region is then formed, so that the electrically conductiveregion and the fixed-charge containing region are formed without arisingany offset from each other. Furthermore, the substance to becomefixed-charges is prevented from being introduced into the electricallyconductive region, and therefore the Schottky junction characteristic isnot adversely affected.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor device manufacturing method furtherincludes an annealing step after the step of introducing the substanceto become the fixed charge into the insulating layer and before the stepof forming the semiconductor exposure region.

In the semiconductor manufacturing method of this embodiment, anannealing process is carried out after the substance to form thefixed-charge containing region is introduced into the insulating layer,so that the substance to form fixed-charge containing region isredistributed to a region closer to the semiconductor by thermaldiffusion, thus generating fixed charges effectively. Furthermore, sincethe annealing process is carried out before removing part of theinsulating layer to form the semiconductor exposure region, theannealing process causes little contamination of the semiconductor.

In one embodiment, the step of forming the electrically conductiveregion includes forming an electrically conductive compound by achemical reaction of the semiconductor with metal.

In the semiconductor device manufacturing method of this embodiment, thechemical reaction of the semiconductor with the metal proceeds not onlyin the in-depth direction but also in the horizontal, or lateraldirection, so that the electrically conductive region is formed so as tooverlap the fixed-charge containing region. Consequently, thefixed-charge containing region can be provided in the area of contactbetween the Schottky junction and the insulating layer with a sufficientmargin of error, and thus a possible variation of the modulation amountof the Schottky barrier can be extremely suppressed. Because of this,devices having little variation characteristic can be obtained.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor device manufacturing method furtherincludes a step of forming a gate electrode via a gate insulating filmon the semiconductor before the step of forming the insulating layer.

In the semiconductor device manufacturing method of this embodiment, theinsulating layer into which fixed charge is to be introduced is formedafter the gate insulating film and the gate electrode have been formed,so that not only can the thickness of the gate insulating film and thethickness of the insulating layer be controlled independently, but alsothe device can be manufactured without problems, such as giving damageto the gate insulating film, caused by a subsequent steps such as thestep of introducing the substance to become fixed charges into theinsulating film.

In one embodiment, the step of forming the insulating layer includesforming an insulative compound by a chemical reaction of thesemiconductor with gas including at least one of oxygen, nitrogenmonoxide, and dinitrogen monoxide.

In the semiconductor device manufacturing method of this embodiment, forexample, if silicon is used for the semiconductor, the insulating layercan be made of silicon oxide or silicon oxynitride, so that the mobilityof the carrier conduction layer induced by the fixed charges can beincreased. Furthermore, the interface between the insulating layer andthe semiconductor is formed in a deeper position than the surface of thesemiconductor at a time preceding the chemical reaction. Therefore, itcan be easily achieved to place the interface between the insulatinglayer and the semiconductor in a deeper position than the interfacebetween the gate insulating film and the semiconductor.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor exposure region is formed in aself-aligned manner with respect to the gate electrode.

In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, because theelectrically conductive region is formed in the semiconductor exposureregion which has been formed in a self-aligned manner with respect tothe gate electrode, the electrically conductive region is also formed ina self-aligned manner with respect to the gate electrode. Consequently,the electrically conductive region can be formed without being affectedby the discrepancy in alignment caused by the lithography, so that anexcess dimensional margin is not required and the device area is thusreduced. Furthermore, electrically conductive regions to become a sourceregion and a drain region can be formed in positions which are generallysymmetric with respect to the gate electrode, so that a good devicecharacteristic is easily obtained, and in particular when thesemiconductor device is a pass transistor, a good device characteristicwhich is not dependent on the input direction can be obtained easily.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intendedto limit the present invention, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E show the processes of manufacturing asemiconductor device of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the fixed-charge density dependence of the thresholdvoltage of the semiconductor device (n-type channel device) shown inFIG. 1E;

FIG. 3 shows that an offset arises between the source/drain region andthe gate electrode of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1E due tovariations in manufacturing;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturedusing a SOI substrate instead of the silicon substrate of thesemiconductor device shown in FIG. 1E;

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict the principle on which cesium becomes fixedcharge;

FIG. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view depicting that a Schottkybarrier is modulated by fixed charge;

FIG. 6B shows the result of calculations at a lower end of a conductionband obtained along the line A-A shown in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C shows the result of calculations in which an image potential istaken into consideration to the calculation result shown in FIG. 6B;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E, and 7F show the processes of manufacturing asemiconductor device of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows the gate length dependence of the threshold voltage of thesemiconductor device (n-type channel device) shown in FIG. 7F;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturedusing a SOI substrate instead of the silicon substrate of thesemiconductor device shown in FIG. 7F;

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F show the processes ofmanufacturing a semiconductor of a third embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device obtainedwhen a SAC process is used for the semiconductor device shown in FIG.10F;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of an area of a source electrode side end ofthe gate electrode 4 in FIG. 10F; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a background art SB-MISFET.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Semiconductor devices according to the present invention and methods ofmanufacturing them will be described in detail below with reference tothe embodiments shown in the figures.

A semiconductor substrate which may be used in the present invention ispreferably but not limited to a single-crystal silicon substrate. Inaddition, a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate or a strainedsemiconductor substrate in which the carrier mobility is increased byadding a strain to the crystal may be used. Furthermore, apolycrystalline semiconductor or amorphous semiconductor formed on aglass substrate or the like may be used. In the following embodiments,description will be made with particular emphasis on an n-type channeldevice in which cesium is used for the fixed charge, but a p-typechannel device may be formed by reversing the conductivity type of theimpurity and the polarity of the fixed charge. As a matter of course,both of an n-type channel device and a p-type channel device may beformed on one substrate.

First Embodiment

The semiconductor device of the first embodiment of the presentinvention is a Schottky-barrier-source/drain MIS field-effect transistorwhich is so structured that the source region and drain region made ofmetallic material overlap the gate electrode, wherein fixed charges aregenerated by doping cesium into an insulating film provided on a regionof the substrate where the channel region is in contact with the sourceregion and on a region of the substrate where the channel region is incontact with the drain region, thereby realizing the control of thethreshold voltage as intended. That is, the semiconductor device of thefirst embodiment has a gate electrode, which is provided on the channelregion of the semiconductor between the source region and the drainregion, on a portion of the source region near the channel region, andon a portion of the drain region near the channel region, via a gateinsulating film which has, at its end portions, regions containing fixedcharges.

FIGS. 1A to 1E are cross-sectional views of the semiconductor device ofthe first embodiment of the present invention during the manufacturingprocess for illustrating the manufacturing method of the semiconductordevice.

At first, as shown in FIG. 1A, device isolation regions 2 are formed onone principal surface of a p-type silicon substrate 1 as an example of asemiconductor by, for example, a shallow trench isolation (STI) method,and a device forming region is defined by the device isolation regions2. Next, a polycrystal silicon film is deposited on a gate insulatingfilm 3 made of silicon oxide provided on the surface of the deviceforming region, and a gate electrode 4 is then formed by patterning ofthe polycrystal silicon film.

The material of the gate insulating film 3 may be anything as long as ithas an insulating performance, and may be an insulating material havinga dielectric constant higher than silicon oxide, such as hafnium oxide,zirconium oxide, or alumina, or may be an insulating material whichcontains nitrogen of the order of 30% or less in composition, such assilicon oxynitride or hafnium oxynitride. Furthermore, althoughpolycrystal silicon is used for the gate electrode 4 in this embodiment,amorphous silicon, amorphous silicon germanide, polycrystal silicongermanide or the like may be used. Furthermore, the gate electrode 4 mayhave been doped in n-type with phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, or thelike. In the case of a p-type device, the gate electrode may have beendoped in p-type with boron, boron fluoride, or the like.

An insulating layer (a first insulating layer) into which fixed chargesare to be introduced is formed after the gate insulating film 3 and thegate electrode 4 have been formed, so that not only the thickness of thegate insulating film 3 and the thickness of the insulating layer can becontrolled independently, but also the device can be manufacturedwithout any problem such as giving damage to the gate insulating film 3by a subsequent process such as the process of introducing a substanceto become fixed-charge containing regions into the insulating film.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, a silicon oxide film 17 and a silicon nitridefilm 18 are deposited in succession by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD)method. After forming the silicon oxide film 17 and before forming thesilicon nitride film 18, annealing may be carried out in anoxygen-containing atmosphere to grow a silicon oxide film at theinterface between the silicon oxide film 17 and the silicon substrate 1.Because of the silicon oxide film, the mobility of an inversion layerformed below the interface between the silicon film 17 and the siliconsubstrate 1 can be increased, and the interface between the siliconoxide film 17 and the silicon substrate 1 can be placed in a deeperposition than the interface between the gate insulating film 3 and thesilicon substrate 1.

Next, after patterning is carried out so that the device isolationregions 2 are covered with resist (not shown), ion implantation ofcesium into the silicon oxide film 17 is carried out, and the resist isthen peeled off. Instead of the ion implantation, cesium may beintroduced into a gas used in a CVD method, such as silane, oxygen or amixture thereof, to make the silicon oxide film 17 to contain cesiumwhen the silicon oxide film 17 is formed.

Next, annealing is carried out in, for example, a nitrogen atmosphere tocause thermal diffusion of the cesium to a portion of the gateinsulating film 3 near an end of the source region 10 and a portion ofthe gate insulating film 3 near an end of the drain region 11. At thismoment, the cesium is segregated at the interface between the siliconoxide film 17 and the silicon substrate 1. Like this, a fixed-chargecontaining region 8 which covers the gate electrode 4 and the regions onboth sides of the gate electrode 4 is formed. The fixed-chargecontaining region 8 is formed in a self-aligned manner with respect tothe gate electrode 4.

As described above, annealing is carried out after the ion implantationof cesium into the silicon oxide film 17 and before a process of forminga semiconductor exposure region, so that the cesium to form thefixed-charge containing region can be redistributed to regions closer tothe semiconductor by thermal diffusion, thus generating fixed chargesefficiently. Since the annealing process is carried out before theprocess of forming a semiconductor exposure region, a problem that thesemiconductor is contaminated due to the annealing process hardlyarises.

Furthermore, the insulating layer into which the fixed charges areintroduced is formed after the gate insulating film 3 and the gateelectrode 4 have been formed, so that not only the thickness of the gateinsulating film 3 and the thickness of the insulating layer can becontrolled independently, but also the device can be manufacturedwithout any problem such as giving damage to the gate insulating film 3by a subsequent process such as the process of introducing a substanceto form the fixed-charge containing region into the insulating film.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, gate sidewalls 18 are formed by etching backthe silicon oxide film 17 (shown in FIG. 1B) and the silicon nitridefilm 18 (shown in FIG. 1B) by a reactive ion etching (RIE) method. As aresult, the silicon substrate 1 is exposed in self-alignment withrespect to the gate electrode 4.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1D, a source region 10 and a drain region 11,which are made of metallic silicide and are an example of anelectrically conductive region, are formed by a salicide (self-alignedsilicide) process. At this moment, the metallic silicide is formed sothat the source region 10 and the drain region 11 overlap the gateelectrode 4. Between the metallic silicide (source region 10 and drainregion 11) and the silicon substrate 1, Schottky junctions are formed.Since the silicon substrate 1 has been exposed in a self-aligned mannerwith respect to the gate electrode 4, the source region 10 and the drainregion 11 are also formed in self-alignment with respect to the gateelectrode 4. In other words, no lithography process is used, so thatdiscrepancy in alignment caused by the lithography process can beavoided. In addition, the fixed-charge containing region 8 is alsoformed in positions self-aligned with respect to the gate electrode,thereby being positioned in self-alignment with respect to the sourceregion 10 and drain region 11. Thus, a device characteristic with asmall variation can be realized.

Furthermore, at this moment, a polycide 6 is formed on the top of thegate electrode 4. The gate electrode 4 may be made silicide completely.

As metallic material used for the metallic silicide, for example, W, Ti,Co, Ni, Pb, Pt, Er, Yb, or the like may be used. In particular, by usingEr or Yb in the case of an n-type device, or by using Pt in the case ofa p-type device, metallic silicide having a low Schottky barrier can beformed. Consequently, a lower threshold voltage can be obtained, therebyincreasing the ON-state current of the device.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1E, interlayer dielectrics 12, upper wirings 13,etc. are formed by a publicly known method, and then the semiconductordevice is completed.

FIG. 2 shows the fixed-charge density dependence of the thresholdvoltage of the semiconductor device (n-type channel device) of the firstembodiment, which was made using CoSi₂ as the metallic silicide, underthe condition that the gate length was 50 nm, that the equivalent oxidethickness (EOT) of the gate insulating film 3 was 2 nm, and that thepower supply voltage was 1.2 V. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis indicatesthe fixed-charge density [cm⁻²] and the vertical axis indicates thethreshold voltage [V]. The fixed-charge densities were obtained in testsamples made on the conditions corresponding to the above devices, bymeasuring the carrier densities by a four-terminal Hall effectmeasurement and adding the density of acceptors on the depletion layerto the measured carrier densities. As can be seen from FIG. 2, thethreshold voltage can be controlled by controlling the fixed-chargedensity. The threshold voltage in the case that cesium was not doped wasabout 0.47 V, which is not shown in FIG. 2.

As can be seen from FIG. 1E, the semiconductor device of the firstembodiment of the present invention is a MIS field-effect transistorhaving Schottky barrier source and drain, in which the source region 10and the drain region 11 made of metallic silicide overlaps the gateelectrode 4, and the gate insulating film 3 has cesium-containingregions 8 in its portions near the source region 10 and the drain region11. By applying a voltage to the gate electrode 4, a channel region isformed in the silicon substrate 1 under the gate electrode 4, and at thesame time the height and width of the Schottky barrier formed betweenthe source region 10 and the silicon substrate 1 are modulated in anarea of contact between the channel region and the source region 10. Asa result of this, an electron flow from the source region 10 to thedrain region 11 through the channel region arises. Since the cesiumbecomes positive fixed charge, electrical fields arise in the directionperpendicular to the interface between the silicon substrate 1 and thegate insulating film 3, in a portion of the channel region near an endof the source region 10 and in a portion of the channel region near anend of the drain region 11, and therefore the degree of band bending andthe effect of modulation of the Schottky barriers become larger.

Consequently, by controlling the amount of cesium doped, it becomespossible to modulate the heights and widths of the Schottky barriers ina portion of the channel region near an end of the source region and ina portion of the channel region near an end of the drain region 11, andthus the threshold voltage can be controlled freely.

Furthermore, the fixed-charge containing regions 8 containing cesiumalso lie on both sides of the gate electrode 4. Therefore, as shown inFIG. 3, even if the source region 10 and/or the drain region 11 does notoverlap the gate electrode 4 due to the variations, etc. caused by themanufacturing processes, the threshold voltage and the parasiticresistance can be prevented from increasing, thereby the manufacturingvariations of the device characteristic can be extremely reduced. Inparticular, this advantage is obtained very effectively when the region8 on the source region 10 side has such a fixed-charge density or morethat an inversion layer is formed even when the gate voltage is 0 [V].

In an experiment carried out by the inventor, whereas the yield in thecase that cesium was not doped was about 72%, the yield in the case thatcesium was doped and the fixed-charge density generated by the dopingwas 2.4×10¹³ cm⁻² was about 93%, which displays a significantimprovement.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturedusing a SOI substrate instead of the silicon substrate 1 of thesemiconductor device shown in FIG. 1E. Since the source region 10 andthe drain region 11 are in contact with a buried oxide film 19, theleakage currents and junction capacitances at the Schottky junctions canbe significantly reduced. Furthermore, since there are Schottkyjunctions between each of the source region 10 and drain region 11 and asilicon layer 20, there hardly occurs the floating body effect whichbecomes a problem in a MIS field-effect transistor using a SOIsubstrate.

Below is described, using FIGS. 5A and 5B, a reason why the cesium nearthe interface between the silicon substrate 1 and the silicon oxide film17 is ionized to become positive fixed charge.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the band diagrams viewed in the directionperpendicular to the interface between the p-type silicon substrate andthe silicon oxide film formed on the p-type silicon substrate in thecase that cesium is contained in the silicon oxide film. In the figures,E_(C) indicates a lower end of the conduction band, E_(V) indicates anupper end of the valence band, and E_(F) indicates the Fermi level. FIG.5A shows an initial state, and FIG. 5B shows a thermal equilibriumstate.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the cesium in the silicon oxide film provides anenergy level in the silicon oxide film. Since the first ionizationenergy of cesium (3.89 eV) is less than the electron affinity of silicon(4.15 eV), cesium is deemed to have an energy level in a position higherthan the lower end of the conduction band of silicon. Thus, electronsare emitted from the cesium to the silicon substrate leading to athermal equilibrium state.

As a result of this, as shown in FIG. 5B, the cesium is ionized tobecome positive fixed charges. The bands are bent near the interfacebetween the silicon substrate and the silicon oxide film by theelectrical field caused by the positive fixed charges, so that adepletion layer is formed in the silicon substrate near the interfacebetween the silicon substrate and the silicon oxide film. When thefixed-charge density is sufficient, an inversion layer is formed. Thebands are bent until the energy level of the neutral cesium positionedfar from the silicon substrate becomes almost equal to the Fermi levelof the silicon substrate. When the concentration of the cesium is n_(Cs)[cm⁻³], the ionization energy of the cesium in the silicon oxide film isχ_(Cs) [eV], and the electron affinity of the silicon substrate isχ_(Si) [eV], the surface density σ_(fc) [cm⁻²] of the cesium which isionized to become fixed charges is given by:

$\sigma_{fc} \approx \sqrt{\frac{2ɛ_{0}\kappa_{{SiO}_{2}}n_{Cs}}{q}\left( {\chi_{Si} + E_{F} + \frac{E_{g}}{2} - \chi_{Cs}} \right)}$$E_{F} = {\frac{k_{B}T}{q}{\ln \left( \frac{N_{A}}{n_{i}} \right)}}$

where ∈₀ is the dielectric constant of vacuum, κ_(SiO2) is the relativedielectric constant of the silicon oxide film, E_(g) is the band gap ofthe silicon substrate, E_(F) is the Fermi energy measured from theintrinsic level of the silicon substrate, k_(B) is Boltzmann's constant,T is the absolute temperature, N_(A) is the net acceptor concentrationin the silicon substrate, n_(i) is the intrinsic carrier density ofsilicon, and q is the elementary charge.

Consequently, the higher the concentration of the cesium is, the largerthe fixed-charge density becomes, and if a material having a smallerionization energy is used instead of cesium, a larger fixed-chargedensity is obtained. Furthermore, a larger fixed-charge density can beobtained by using a substance having a high dielectric constant insteadof the silicon oxide film. A higher fixed-charge density can be obtainedby distributing cesium or another impurity which becomes fixed chargesin a higher concentration at a smaller distance from the siliconsubstrate, so that the impurity segregated at the interface between thesilicon substrate and the silicon oxide can produce fixed chargesefficiently.

Furthermore, while a substance having a small first ionization energy ispreferable as an impurity used instead of cesium, a substance having anionization energy χ satisfying:

$\left. {\sigma_{fc} > 0}\Leftrightarrow{\chi < {\chi_{Si} + E_{F} + \frac{E_{g}}{2}}} \right.$

may be used. In addition, a substance is preferable which has a largeionic radius and is hard to become mobile ions in an insulating filmsuch as a silicon oxide film in an ordinary device operating temperaturerange. For example, a substance having a small first ionization energyand a large ionic radius, like rubidium, barium, strontium, or the like,is preferable.

Furthermore, when the following relationship:

$\sigma_{fc} > \sqrt{\frac{2\; ɛ_{o}\kappa_{Si}N_{A}}{q}\left( {{2\varphi_{B}} + V_{R}} \right)}$$\varphi_{B} = {\frac{k_{B}T}{q}{\ln \left( \frac{N_{A}}{n_{i}} \right)}}$

is satisfied, inversion layers are formed in the silicon substrate underthe fixed-charge containing regions 8. Therefore, even if the sourceregion 10 and the drain region 11 are displaced with respect to the gateelectrode 4, the variation of the device characteristic caused by thevariation of the silicide process can be suppressed. In the aboveexpressions, κ_(Si) is the relative dielectric constant of silicon, andV_(R) [V] is the reverse bias between the Schottky junctions that isapplied to the source region 10 when the source region 10 side inversionlayer is considered, or the reverse bias between the Schottky junctionsthat is applied to the drain region 11 when the drain region 11 sideinversion layer is considered. For example, when N_(A)=1×10¹⁸ [cm⁻³] andV_(R)=0 [V], and σ_(fc)>3.5×10¹² [cm⁻²] is satisfied, that is,n_(Cs)>2.2×10¹⁸ [cm⁻¹ ³] is satisfied, the inversion layers are formed.

In this connection, in the case of a p-type device, similar discussioncan be done by substituting donors for the acceptors and substituting anelectron affinity or a work function for the ionization energy. In otherwords, a substance having a larger electron affinity or work function isallowed to generate negative fixed charge more effectively. For example,iodine has a large electron affinity, and selenium and platinum have alarge work function, so that they are allowed to generate negative fixedcharges. Furthermore, negative fixed charges can be obtained by dopingaluminum into the silicon oxide.

A principle and method of forming fixed charges is particularly notlimited to the principle and method described above. For example, fixedcharges may be formed by a method utilizing by the defect and/orinteratomic bond in the insulating film.

Next, it will be explained using FIG. 6A to 6C that the height and widthof a Schottky barrier are modulated by the fixed charge.

FIG. 6A show a state that a p-type silicon substrate 21 is in contactwith metal 22 via a Schottky junction, and fixed charges 24 arecontained in an insulating film 23 formed on the surface.

FIG. 6B shows the result of calculations at the lower end of theconduction band obtained along the line A-A of FIG. 6A when theconcentration of acceptors in the p-type silicon is 1×10¹⁶ [cm⁻³] andthe work function of the metal is 4.6 eV. The numeric values of thelegends indicate fixed-charge densities which are varied in the range offrom 0 [cm⁻²] to 5×10¹³ [cm⁻²]. In FIG. 6B, the horizontal axisindicates the distance [nm] from the Schottky junction (the distancemeasured along the silicon substrate), and the vertical axis indicatesthe energy [eV] from the vacuum level. As can be seen from FIG. 6B, thelarger the fixed-charge density becomes, the smaller the width of theSchottky barrier becomes.

FIG. 6C shows a result of considering

$\varphi = {- \frac{q^{2}}{16\pi \; ɛ_{0}\kappa_{Si}X}}$

as an image potential φ [eV] in the calculation result shown in FIG. 6B,where q is the elementary charge, ∈₀ is the dielectric constant ofvacuum, κ_(Si) is the relative dielectric constant of silicon, and X isthe distance from the Schottky junction (distance measured along thesilicon substrate). As can be seen from FIG. 6C, the larger thefixed-charge density becomes, the smaller the width of the Schottkybarrier becomes, and the smaller the height of the Schottky barrierbecomes.

However, the Schottky barrier obtained taking φ into consideration inFIG. 6C is an overestimated one in the state of FIG. 6A, so that it canbe considered that the actual lower end of the conduction band isbetween those in FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C. It is therefore recognized thatthe height and width of the Schottky barrier are modulated bycontrolling the fixed-charge density.

When electrons flow from the metal to the silicon, the electric currentcomponents mainly include a thermionic emission current generated whenelectrons go beyond the Schottky barrier by the thermal energy, and atunnel current generated when electrons tunnel through the Schottkybarrier by the quantum-mechanical effect. The thermionic emissioncurrent and the tunnel current increase when the height of the Schottkybarrier is reduced due to the fixed charges, and the tunnel currentincreases when the width of the Schottky barrier is reduced due to thefixed charges. Consequently, the resistance caused by the Schottkybarrier can be controlled by controlling the fixed-charge density, andthus free control of the threshold voltage of theSchottky-barrier-source/drain MIS field-effect transistor can berealized.

Second Embodiment

The semiconductor device of the second embodiment of the presentinvention is an n-type channel MIS field-effect transistor which has asource region and a drain region made of metallic material, and sourceand drain extensions consisting of inversion layers induced by fixedcharge made of cesium, and which has been realized by simple processes.That is, the semiconductor device of the second embodiment has a gateelectrode which is provided on the channel region of the semiconductorbetween the source region and the drain region via a gate insulatingfilm, and both sides of the gate electrode are partially in contact withfixed-charge containing regions of an insulating layer. In thisembodiment, the fixed-charge containing region extends from each ofpositions corresponding to two opposed side surfaces of the gateelectrode to a position on each of the source and drain regions.

FIGS. 7A to 7E are cross-sectional views of the semiconductor device ofthe second embodiment of the present invention during the manufacturingprocess for illustrating the method of manufacturing it.

At first, as shown in FIG. 7A, device isolation regions 2 are formed onone principal surface of a p-type silicon substrate 1 by, for example, ashallow trench isolation (STI) method, and a device forming region isdefined by the device isolation regions 2. Next, a polycrystal siliconfilm and a silicon oxide film are deposited in succession on a gateinsulating film 3 made of silicon oxide provided on the surface of thedevice forming region. A gate pattern is formed with resist (not shown),and the silicon oxide film is etched to form a hard mask 5. After theresist has been peeled off, the polycrystal silicon film is etched whilebeing masked with the hard mask 5 to form a gate electrode 4.

Although polycrystal silicon is used as the material of the gateelectrode 4, amorphous silicon, amorphous silicon germanide, polycrystalsilicon germanide or the like may be used. Furthermore, the gateelectrode 4 may be doped in n-type with phosphorus, arsenic, antimony,or the like. In the case of a p-type device, the gate electrode may bedoped in p-type with boron, boron fluoride, or the like. Furthermore,metallic material having a melting point of more than 1200° C. such astungsten, titanium nitride, or tantalum nitride may be used instead ofthe polycrystal silicon.

The gate insulating film 3 may be made of any other material as long asit has an insulating performance, but is preferably made of materialsuch as silicon oxynitride or silicon nitride which is resistant todiffusion of an impurity such as cesium to become fixed charges. Thegate insulating film 3 may also preferably be made of a material havinga larger dielectric constant than silicon oxide. Materials having alarger dielectric constant than silicon oxide may be, for example,hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide, hafniumoxynitride, zirconium oxynitride, aluminum oxynitride, or tantalumoxynitride, or may be a material having a complex composition of them(e.g., hafnium oxide aluminate, hafnium oxynitride aluminate, or thelike), or a material which contains an element, such as silicon,contained in the semiconductor substrate (e.g., hafnium oxide silicate,hafnium oxide aluminate silicate, or the like). The gate insulating film3 may also be a laminated film of a silicon oxide film and a film havinga larger dielectric constant than silicon oxide, or a laminated film ofa silicon oxynitride film and a film having a larger dielectric constantthan silicon oxide. In the case of such laminated films, the carriermobility can be prevented from deteriorating by using the silicon oxidefilm or the silicon oxynitride film as a layer which comes into contactwith the silicon substrate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, a silicon oxide film 6 is formed on the wholesurface of the substrate using, for example, a CVD method.

After forming the silicon oxide film 6, annealing at a temperature ofthe order of 600° C. to 1200° C. may be carried out in anoxygen-containing atmosphere. By this annealing, the silicon oxide filmgrows toward the silicon substrate 1, and the interface between thesilicon oxide film 6 and the silicon substrate 1 is formed in a deeperposition than the interface between the gate insulating film 3 and thesilicon substrate 1. At this moment, the capacitance between the gateelectrode and the fixed charges can be less than the capacitance betweenthe silicon substrate and the fixed charges, so that the electric linesof force extending from the fixed charges are restrained fromterminating at the gate electrode 4, and thus it becomes possible thatthe electric lines of force terminate at the silicon substrate 1efficiently. Consequently, the source and drain extensions consisting oflow resistance inversion layers can be formed.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the thickness of the silicon oxidefilm 6 is more than the thickness of the gate insulating film 3. Becauseof this, the cross-sectional area of the gate insulating film 3 viewedfrom the impurity to become fixed charges, such as cesium, contained inthe silicon oxide film is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppresssuch impurity entering into the gate insulating film 3 in a laterthermal diffusion process. Thus, the distribution of the impurity suchas cesium to become fixed charges can be easily controlled.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7C, resist is applied to the surface of thesilicon substrate 1, and then a resist mask 7 is formed by carrying outpatterning such that the device isolation regions 2 are covered and partor the whole of the device forming region is exposed. After that, ionimplantation of cesium into the silicon oxide film 6 is carried outusing the gate electrode 4 and the resist mask 7 as masks.

After that, annealing at a temperature of the order of 700° C. to 1000°C. is carried out for a period of the order of 1 second to 100 minutesin, for example, a nitrogen atmosphere. By the annealing, the cesium isdiffused in the silicon oxide film 6, and is segregated near theinterface between the silicon oxide film 6 and the silicon substrate 1,so that the fixed charges can be distributed to positions as close tothe silicon substrate 1 as possible. Furthermore, since the capacitancebetween the cesium and the silicon substrate becomes very large, thepotential fluctuation of the cesium caused by the ionization of itbecomes very small, and thereby the ionization rate of the cesiumincreases. Consequently, high density fixed-charge containing regions 8can be formed. The fixed-charge containing regions 8 are formed inpositions self-aligned with respect to the gate electrode 4.

Furthermore, when the interfaces between the fixed-charge containingregions 8 of the silicon oxide film 6 and the silicon substrate 1 areformed in deeper positions than the interface between the gateinsulating film 3 and the silicon substrate 1, the capacitance betweenthe gate electrode and the fixed charges can be less than thecapacitance between the silicon substrate and the fixed charges, so thatthe electric lines of force extending from the fixed charges arerestrained from terminating at the gate electrode 4, and thus it becomespossible that the electric lines of force terminate at the siliconsubstrate 1 efficiently. Consequently, the source and drain extensionsconsisting of low resistance inversion layers can be formed.

In addition, as compared with the ionic radii of lithium, sodium, andpotassium, of which atoms are known to become movable ions in a siliconoxide film, the ionic radius of cesium is very large, so that cesiumatoms are less apt to become movable ions at an ordinary deviceoperating temperature, thereby functioning as steady fixed charges.

Instead of cesium described above, at least one of rubidium, barium, andstrontium may be used, or at least two of cesium, rubidium, barium, andstrontium may be used.

Band bending arises at surface portions of the silicon substrate 1 underthe positive fixed charges by the electrical field emitted from thepositive fixed charges. When the potential of the surface of the siliconsubstrate 1 reaches about twice as large as the difference between theFermi potential of the silicon substrate 1 and the intrinsic Fermipotential, inversion layers are formed at the surface portions of thesilicon substrate 1 under the positive fixed charges.

After forming the silicon oxide film 6 and before the ion implantation,a silicon nitride film as an example of the second insulating layer maybe formed on the whole surface of the silicon substrate (wafer). Byforming the silicon nitride film before an impurity such as cesium tobecome fixed charges is implanted into the silicon oxide film 6, it ispossible to prevent thermal diffusion of the impurity to the oppositeside away from the silicon substrate caused by heat treatment, etc. in aprocess subsequent to the implantation of the impurity. The siliconnitride film may be replaced with any material as long as the materialis resistant to diffusion of an impurity such as cesium. In this case,ion implantation of cesium into the silicon oxide film 6 is carried outbeyond the silicon nitride film, so that it is preferable that thethickness of the silicon nitride film is one-half or less of thethickness of the silicon oxide film 6. For example, when the thicknessof the silicon oxide film 6 is between 350 Å (35 nm) and 500 Å (50 nm)inclusive, if the thickness of the silicon nitride film is 100 Å (10nm), and the implantation energy for the cesium ions is about 30 keV to50 keV, the implanted cesium ions can be distributed near the center ofthe silicon oxide film 6 in the direction of its thickness with very fewions entering the silicon substrate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7D, the resist mask 7 (shown in FIG. 7C) ispeeled off, and then a silicon oxide film is deposited to a desiredthickness by a CVD method. After that, gate sidewalls 9 are formed byetching back the silicon oxide film by an RIE method. As a result, thesilicon substrate 1 is exposed in self-alignment with respect to thegate electrode 4. The silicon oxide film may be replaced with a filmmade of any material as long as the film has an insulating performance,but the film is preferably made of a material such as silicon oxynitrideor silicon nitride which is resistant to diffusion of an impurity tobecome fixed charge, such as cesium.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7E, after a metallic material is deposited,annealing is carried out in, for example, a nitrogen atmosphere to formmetallic silicide, and then a source region 10 and a drain region 11made of the metallic silicide, which exemplify the electricallyconductive region, are formed by removing unreacted metallic material bywet etching. Between the metal silicide and the silicon substrate 1,Schottky barriers are formed. Since the silicon substrate 1 has beenexposed in a self-aligned manner with respect to the gate electrode 4,the source region 10 and the drain region 11 are formed in positionsself-aligned with respect to the gate electrode 4. Since no lithographyprocess is used, discrepancy in alignment which would be caused by thelithography process is avoided. In addition, the fixed-charge containingregions 8 are also positioned in self-alignment with respect to thesource region 10 and drain region 11, and thereby a devicecharacteristic with a small variation can be realized.

As the metallic material, for example, Ti, Co, Ni, Pb, Pt, Er, Yb, orthe like may be used. In particular, by using Er or Yb in the case of ann-type device, and by using Pt in the case of a p-type device, metallicsilicide having a low Schottky barrier can be formed. Consequently, theresistances between the inversion layers and the metallic silicide canbe made extremely small, thus increasing the ON-state current of thedevice.

In the case that the gate electrode 4 is made of polycrystal silicon,the hard mask 5 may be removed before the metallic material is depositedsuch that in a salicide process, part or the whole of the gate electrode4 is silicified and at the same time the source region 10 and the drainregion 11 are formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7F, interlayer dielectrics 12, upper wirings 13,etc. are formed by a publicly known method, and then the semiconductordevice is completed.

FIG. 8 shows the gate length dependence of the threshold voltage of thesemiconductor device (n-type channel device) of the second embodiment,which was made using CoSi₂ as the metallic silicide under the conditionthat the equivalent oxide thickness of the gas insulating film was 2 nm,and that the power supply voltage was 1.2 V. In FIG. 8, in addition tothe result of the semiconductor device of the second embodiment, theresult of a MIS field-effect transistor (a comparative example) havingan ordinary structure made in accordance with a similar design rule isshown. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the semiconductor device of thesecond embodiment has a low dependence of the threshold voltage on thegate length, thereby controlling the short channel effect effectively.

Furthermore, under the condition that the gate length was 50 nm and thethreshold voltage was about 0.3 V, the ON-state current of thesemiconductor device of the second embodiment was 541 μA/μm, about 28%larger than that of the MIS field-effect transistor having an ordinarystructure which was 424 μA/μm.

As can be seen from FIG. 7F, the semiconductor device of the secondembodiment of the present invention is a MIS field-effect transistorhaving a source region 10 and a drain region 11 made of metallicsilicide, and fixed-charge containing regions 8 containing fixed chargesmade of cesium in a silicon oxide film 6 between a gate electrode 4 andeach of a source region 10 and a drain region 11.

Since the cesium near the interface between the silicon oxide film 6 andthe silicon substrate 1 becomes positive fixed charge, the bands of thesilicon substrate 1 are bent near the interfaces between the cesiumcontaining regions 8 and the silicon substrate 1 to form inversionlayers. In addition, due to the electrical field from the fixed charge,the heights and widths of the Schottky barriers between the sourceregion 10 and drain region 11 and the silicon substrate 1 are small nearthe interface between the silicon oxide film 6 and the silicon substrate1. Consequently, the inversion layers are connected to the source region10 and the drain region 11 so as to have low resistances therebetween.

As understood from the above description, the source region 10 and thedrain region 11 are made of low resistance metallic silicide, and theSchottky barriers are modulated by the fixed charge, so that theparasitic resistance of the device can be significantly small. Inaddition, the inversion layers formed under the fixed-charge containingregions 8 function as extremely shallow source and drain extensions, sothat the short channel effect can be controlled effectively.Furthermore, whereas the source region and the drain region of ordinaryMIS field-effect transistors are made using impurity diffusion layers,the source region 10 and the drain region 11 of the semiconductor of thesecond embodiment are made using metallic silicide, so that in theembodiment, it is easy to form the source region 10 and the drain region11 at shallow depths, and thus the short channel effect can becontrolled effectively. Consequently, an extremely high performance MISfield-effect transistor can be provided.

In this connection, forming an inversion layer requires a fixed-chargedensity σ_(fc) [cm⁻²] satisfying the condition of:

$\sigma_{fc} > \sqrt{\frac{2\; ɛ_{o}\kappa_{Si}N_{A}}{q}\left( {{2\varphi_{B}} + V_{R}} \right)}$

Furthermore, the first ionization energy of a material used instead ofcesium is preferably less than the electron affinity of thesemiconductor substrate. For example, when a silicon substrate is usedas the semiconductor substrate, if a substitute material for cesium hasa first ionization energy less than the electron affinity (4.15 eV) ofsilicon, high density positive fixed charge can be obtained.

Furthermore, in the case of a p-type device, a material having anelectronic affinity or a work function larger than the sum of theelectron affinity and the band gap of the semiconductor substrate ispreferably used as a material for generating fixed charge. For example,when a silicon substrate is used as the semiconductor substrate, use ofa material having an electronic affinity or a work function larger thanthe sum (5.25 eV) of the electron affinity (4.15 eV) and band gap (1.1eV) of silicon allows high density negative fixed charge to be obtained.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturedusing a SOI substrate instead of the silicon substrate 1 shown in FIG.7F. Since the source region 10 and the drain region 11 are in contactwith the buried oxide film 19 as an example of an insulator layer, theleakage currents and junction capacitances at the Schottky junctions canbe significantly reduced. Furthermore, since there are Schottkyjunctions between the source region 10 and drain region 11 and thesilicon layer 20, the floating body effect which becomes a problem in aMIS field-effect transistor using a SOI substrate is hard to arise. Inaddition, under the condition that the thickness of the silicon layer 20is sufficiently small and the silicon layer under the fixed-chargecontaining regions 8 is completely depleted, the fixed charge necessaryfor the depletion are less than those in the case of a bulk siliconsubstrate, thereby increasing the carrier densities of the inversionlayers.

Third Embodiment

The semiconductor device of the third embodiment of the presentinvention is manufactured in such a way that the position of cesium tobecome fixed charges is deeper than the position of the interfacebetween the gate insulating film and the silicon substrate. Because ofthis, the capacitance between the gate electrode and the fixed chargescan be sufficiently less than the capacitance between the siliconsubstrate and the fixed charges, so that the electric lines of forceextending from the fixed charges are restricted from terminating at thegate electrode 4, and thereby it becomes possible that the electriclines of force terminate at the silicon substrate efficiently. Thus, theheights and widths of the Schottky barriers are modulated effectively,and the carrier densities of the inversion layers formed with the fixedcharge are increased, and thereby the parasitic resistance is reducedand a larger drive current is obtained.

FIGS. 10A to 10F are cross-sectional views of the semiconductor deviceof the third embodiment of the present invention in the manufacturingprocesses illustrating the manufacturing method of it.

At first, as shown in FIG. 10A, device isolation regions 2 are formed onone principal plane of a p-type silicon substrate (wafer) 1 by, forexample, a shallow trench isolation (STI) method, and the device formingregion is defined by the device isolation regions 2. Next, a polycrystalsilicon film is deposited on a gate insulating film 3 made of siliconoxide provided on the surface of the device forming region, and thenpatterned to thereby form a gate electrode 4. The gate insulating film 3may be of any other material as long as it has an insulatingperformance, but is preferably made of a material such as siliconoxynitride or silicon nitride in which an impurity, such as cesium, tobecome fixed charges hardly diffuses. Furthermore, although polycrystalsilicon is used for the gate electrode 4 in this embodiment, amorphoussilicon, amorphous silicon germanide, polycrystal silicon germanide orthe like may be used. Furthermore, the gate electrode 4 may be doped inn-type with phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, or the like. In the case of ap-type device, the gate electrode may be doped in p-type with boron,boron fluoride, or the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the whole surface of the silicon substrate 1is oxidized to form a silicon oxide film 14. Since the silicon oxidefilm 14 is formed by the reaction of the silicon substrate 1 and oxygen,the interface between the silicon oxide film 14 and the siliconsubstrate 1 is formed in a deeper position than the interface betweenthe gate insulating film 3 and the silicon substrate 1.

The silicon oxide film 14 may be formed by annealing at a temperature ofthe order of 800° C. to 1000° C. in, for example, an oxygen atmosphere.Furthermore, after the silicon oxide film 14 has been formed, part orthe whole of the silicon oxide film 14 may be nitrided by annealing inan atmosphere which contains at least one of nitrogen, nitrogenmonoxide, dinitrogen monoxide, nitrogen radical, and ammonia. Also,silicon oxide may be additionally deposited by, for example, a CVDprocess to allow independent control of the thickness of the siliconoxide film 14 and the position of the interface between the siliconoxide film 14 and the silicon substrate 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10C, resist is applied to the surface of thesilicon substrate 1, and then a resist mask 7 is formed by patterningsuch that the device isolation regions 2 are covered and part or thewhole of the device forming region is exposed. After that, ionimplantation of cesium into the silicon oxide film 14 is carried outusing the gate electrode 4 and the resist masks 7 as masks. Since thefirst ionization energy of cesium is as small as 3.89 eV, theoutermost-shell electrons of cesium move toward the silicon substrate 1,and thereby high-density positive fixed-charge containing regions 8 areobtained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, the resist masks 7 (shown in FIG. 10C) ispeeled off, and then a silicon nitride film is deposited to a desiredthickness by a CVD method, and gate sidewalls 15 are formed by etchingback the silicon nitride film by an RIE method.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10E, a source region 10 and a drain region 11 ofmetallic silicide, which exemplify the electrically conductive region,are formed by a salicide process. Schottky junctions are formed betweenthe metallic silicide and the silicon substrate. At this moment, apolycide 16 is formed on the top of the gate electrode 4.

As metallic material for the metallic silicide, for example, Ti, Co, Ni,Pb, Pt, Er, Yb, or the like may be used. In particular, by using Er orYb in the case of an n-type device, or by using Pt in the case of ap-type device, metallic silicide having a low Schottky barrier can beformed, and consequently the low resistance contact is realized, therebyincreasing the ON-state current of the device.

After that, annealing at a temperature of the order of 700° C. to 1000°C. is carried out for a period of the order of 1 second to 100 minutesin, for example, a nitrogen atmosphere. By the annealing, the cesium isdiffused in the silicon oxide film 14, and is segregated near theinterface between the silicon oxide film 14 and the silicon substrate 1,becoming positive fixed charge. At this moment, the capacitance betweenthe cesium and the silicon substrate becomes very large, so that thepotential fluctuation of the cesium caused by the ionization of itbecomes very small, and consequently the ionization rate of the cesiumincreases, thus forming high density fixed charge. Since the cesium ishard to diffuse in the gate sidewalls 15 made of silicon nitride,out-diffusion of the cesium caused by the annealing can be prevented.

Furthermore, the interfaces between the fixed-charge containing regions8 of the silicon oxide film 14 and the silicon substrate 1 are formed indeeper positions than the interface between the gate insulating film 3and the silicon substrate 1, so that the distance between the segregatedcesium and the gate electrode 4 increases accordingly, thereby reducingthe proportion of electric lines of force which terminate at the gateelectrode to the electric lines of force extending from the ionizedcesium. Consequently, the effect of modulation of the heights and widthsof the Schottky barriers can be obtained more efficiently, and thecarrier densities of the inversion layers induced by the fixed chargesincrease, so that the resistance value can be reduced accordingly.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10F, interlayer dielectrics 12, upper wirings 13,etc. are formed by a publicly known method, as a result of which thesemiconductor device is completed.

The device area can be reduced using a self-aligned contact (SAC)process as shown in FIG. 11 instead of the method shown in FIG. 10F. Inother words, the alignment margin between each of the source region 10and drain region 11 and the contact hole can be reduced, so that theareas of the source region 10 and the drain region 11 can be reduced.Consequently, the parasitic capacitance can also be reduced, and theoperation speed of the device can be increased.

As can be seen from FIG. 10F and FIG. 11, in the semiconductor device ofthe third embodiment of the present invention, the interface between thesilicon oxide film 14 and the silicon substrate 1 is formed in a deeperposition than the interface between the gate insulating film 3 and thesilicon substrate 1.

The structural superiority of the semiconductor device of the thirdembodiment of the present invention will be described with reference toFIG. 12.

A state in which an inversion layer has been formed by fixed chargeswill be discussed below. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a region nearthe source electrode side end of the gate electrode 4 in FIG. 10F. InFIG. 12, the capacitance between the gate electrode 4 and the fixedcharges 30 near the end of the gate electrode is C₁ [F/cm²], and theeffective capacitance between the fixed charges 30 and the inversionlayer 32 is C₂ [F/cm²], where the potential of the gate electrode 4 is V[V], and the potential of the silicon substrate 1 is 0 [V]. When thethickness of the gate insulating film 3 (in terms of EOT) is t_(ox)[cm], the depth of the interface between the fixed-charge containingregion 8 and the silicon substrate 1 measured from the interface betweenthe gate insulating film 3 and the silicon substrate 1 is d [cm], andthe effective thickness of the inversion layer 32 is t_(inv) [cm], thefollowing relations are obtained near the source electrode side end ofthe gate electrode:

$C_{1} = \frac{ɛ_{0}\kappa_{{SiO}_{2}}}{\left( {t_{ox} + d} \right)}$$C_{2} = \frac{ɛ_{0}\kappa_{Si}}{t_{inv}}$

When the fixed-charge density is Q_(FC) [C/cm²], the density of chargesinduced in the gate electrode 4 is −Q₁ [C/cm²], the density of chargesinduced in the silicon substrate is −Q₂ [C/cm²], the voltage applied tothe gate electrode is V [V], the potential of the fixed charge 30 isV_(FC) [V], and the flat band voltage between the gate electrode 4 andthe silicon substrate 1 is V_(FB) [V] (<0), the following equations areobtained,

Q _(FC) =Q ₁ +Q ₂

Q ₁ =C ₁(V _(FC) −V+V _(FB))

Q ₂ =Q _(inv) +Q _(B)

Q _(inv) =C ₂(V _(FC)−2φ_(B))

Q _(B)=√{square root over (2∈₀κ_(Si)φ_(s) qN _(A))}

where Q_(inv) [C/cm²] is the charge density of the inversion layer 32,Q_(B) [C/cm²] is the space charge density in the depletion layer 31, andN_(A) [cm⁻³] is the impurity concentration of the silicon substrate 1which is assumed to be constant (p-type). According to the aboveequations, Q_(inv) is given by the following equation.

$Q_{inv} = {\frac{C_{2}}{C_{1} + C_{2}}\left\{ {Q_{FC} - Q_{B} + {C_{1}\left( {V - V_{FB} - {2\phi_{B}}} \right)}} \right\}}$

C₁(V−V_(FB)−2φ_(B)) in the above equation is equivalent to the densityof charges caused by the electrical field which has leaked out of thegate electrode 4. In other words, it is equivalent to the density ofcharges stored in a fringe capacitor which is parasitic on the gateelectrode. Because of this, it is preferably set to a small value.

When Q_(FC) is sufficiently large, Q_(inv) may be approximated as:

$Q_{inv} = {\frac{C_{2}}{C_{1} + C_{2}}Q_{FC}}$

As can been seen, when d is designed to be large enough to reduce C₁,the charge density Q_(inv) of the inversion layer 32 increases, and alower-resistance inversion layer 32 is thus obtained. At the same time,the fringe capacitance can also be reduced. Consequently, a higheroperation speed of the device, a lower power consumption, etc. can berealized.

For example, when C₁/C₂=1/α,

$d = {{\frac{\kappa_{{SiO}_{2}}}{\kappa_{Si}}t_{inv}\alpha} - t_{ox}}$

is given. When t_(ox)=2 [nm] and α=12, d=2 [nm], where t_(inv)=1 [nm] isassumed, and κ_(SiO2)=3.9 and κ_(Si)=1.17 are used.

In the semiconductor device (n-type channel device) of the thirdembodiment made using CoSi₂ as metallic silicide under the conditionthat the gate length was 50 nm, that the equivalent oxide thickness ofthe gate insulating film was 2 nm, that the power supply voltage was 1.2V, and that d=2.2 [nm], the ON-state current was 570 μA/μm which wasabout 5% larger than that in the case of d≈0 [nm]. Like this, by settingthe value of d to one to several times the value of t_(ox), the devicecharacteristic can be improved without almost deteriorating the shortchannel effect.

Embodiments of the invention being thus described, it will be obviousthat the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, andall such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art areintended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a semiconductor; an electricallyconductive region which is in contact with the semiconductor to form aSchottky junction; and an insulator which is in contact with thesemiconductor and the electrically conductive region, and has afixed-charge containing region which contains a fixed charge and extendsacross a boundary between the semiconductor and the electricallyconductive region, wherein the insulator is in contact with the Schottkyjunction so that bands of the semiconductor are bent, and the height andwidth of the Schottky junction are reduced, wherein the height and widthof the Schottky junction are reduced with respect to electrons when thepolarity of the fixed charge is positive, and wherein the height andwidth of the Schottky junction are reduced with respect to holes whenthe polarity of the fixed charge is negative.
 2. A semiconductor deviceas claimed in claim 1, further comprising a gate electrode, and wherein:the electrically conductive region includes a source region and a drainregion provided on one principal plane of the semiconductor and spacedfrom each other; the insulator includes a gate insulating film under thegate electrode and a first insulating layer provided on opposite sidesof the gate insulating film in such a manner that the first insulatinglayer overlaps the source region and the drain region; the fixed-chargecontaining region is contained in opposite end portions of the gateinsulating film and portions of the first insulating layer adjacent tothose opposite end portions of the gate insulating film; the fixedcharge of the insulator has a polarity equivalent to a conductivity typeof the semiconductor; and the gate electrode is provided, via the gateinsulating film, on a channel region of the semiconductor between thesource region and the drain region as well as on a portion near thechannel region of at least one of the source region and the drainregion.
 3. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 2, wherein aninterface between the fixed-charge containing region of the firstinsulating layer and the semiconductor is provided in asemiconductor-side deeper position than an interface between the gateinsulating film and the semiconductor.
 4. A semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 2, wherein: the fixed charge is constituted by asubstance; and the semiconductor device further comprises a secondinsulating layer on the fixed-charge containing region of the firstinsulating layer, said second insulating layer being made of a substancein which the substance constituting the fixed charge is lessheat-diffusible than in the first insulating layer.
 5. A semiconductordevice as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the fixed charge is constitutedby a substance; and the gate insulating film is made of a material whichis resistant to thermal diffusion of the substance constituting thefixed charge of the first insulating layer.
 6. A semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the fixed-charge containing region of thefirst insulating layer has a thickness larger than a thickness of thegate insulating film.
 7. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1,further comprising a gate electrode having two opposed side surfaces,and wherein: the electrically conductive region includes a source regionand a drain region provided on one principal plane of the semiconductorand spaced from each other; the insulator includes a gate insulatingfilm under the gate electrode and a first insulating layer provided onboth sides of the gate insulating film in such a manner that the firstinsulating layer overlaps the source region and the drain region; thefixed charge of the insulator has a polarity equivalent to aconductivity type of the semiconductor; and the fixed-charge containingregion is contained in at least the first insulating layer such that thefixed-charge containing region extends at least from each of positionscorresponding to the side surfaces of the gate electrode to a positionon each of the source and drain regions.
 8. A semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 7, wherein an interface between the fixed-chargecontaining region of the first insulating layer and the semiconductor isprovided in a semiconductor-side deeper position than an interfacebetween the gate insulating film and the semiconductor.
 9. Asemiconductor device as claimed in claim 7, wherein: the fixed charge isconstituted by a substance; and the semiconductor device furthercomprises a second insulating layer on the fixed-charge containingregion of the first insulating layer, said second insulating layer beingmade of a material in which the substance constituting the fixed chargeis less heat-diffusible than in the first insulating layer.
 10. Asemiconductor device as claimed in claim 7, wherein: the fixed charge isconstituted by a substance; and the gate insulating film is made of amaterial which is resistant to thermal diffusion of the substanceconstituting the fixed charge of the first insulating layer.
 11. Asemiconductor device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fixed-chargecontaining region of the first insulating layer has a thickness largerthan a thickness of the gate insulating film.
 12. A semiconductor deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor is provided on aninsulator layer.
 13. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 12,wherein the electrically conductive region is in contact with theinsulator layer.
 14. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1,wherein the electrically conductive region is made of a compound of thesemiconductor and metal.
 15. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim14, wherein the metal is any one of tungsten, titanium, cobalt, nickel,and palladium.
 16. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 14,wherein the semiconductor has a conductivity type of p-type, and themetal is any one of erbium and ytterbium.
 17. A semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 14, wherein the semiconductor has a conductivity typeof n-type, and the metal is platinum.
 18. A semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor has a conductivity type ofp-type, and at least one element of cesium, rubidium, barium, andstrontium constitutes the fixed charge.
 19. A semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor has a conductivity type ofn-type, and at least one element of iodine, aluminum, platinum, andselenium constitutes the fixed charge.
 20. A semiconductor device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the insulator has a fixed charge densityranging from 5×10¹² cm⁻² to 5×10¹³ cm⁻².